Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and systems for cardiovascular navigation, and more particularly for displaying a three dimensional visualization of motion in a cardiac chamber or organ.
Cardiovascular navigation systems (CNS) provide real-time position and orientation information in relation to a part of the cardiovascular system, such as, the heart based on sensors placed at various locations within the cardiovascular system. The CNS may be integrated with a fluoroscopic (or other diagnostic) imaging system and track the sensors continuously within an imaging volume defined by the fluoroscopic system, on both live and pre-recorded background diagnostic images,
Recently, it has been proposed to utilize the CNS to evaluate the motion of the heart and identify a desired (e.g., optimal) location for placement of a left ventricular (LV) lead and/or ablation target. For example, the CNS may systematically record information, such as displacement of the sensors, associated with various endocardial and epicardial locations of the LV. Epicardial locations may include mapping within the coronary sinus branches as well as mapping directly on the epicardial surface of the LV via a sub-xiphoid puncture technique, for example. Depending on the size of the heart and other factors during the procedure, there may be between 40 and 120 endocardial LV locations and up to 10 epicardial locations at which the MDG system obtains recordings for each patient.
Systems have been proposed to characterize the motion of the heart, specifically on the quantitative techniques of characterizing motion. However, to allow for qualitative and global evaluation of the three-dimensional motion of different segments of the LV there is a need for a visual identification of the latest activation site for lead placement and/or ablation targets.